Geranium named `Gugino&#39;s Nell`

ABSTRACT

A new geranium cultivar distinguished by its rose-red flowers of medium size borne on a rigid, upright stem and having a continuous and abundant flowering habit throughout the year with adequate greenhouse photoperiod for wintertime blooming. The plant has a vigorous and rapid growth rate with excellent branching off the main leader, an abundant production of foliage, and its blooms have a lasting quality of 10 to 14 days.

BACKGROUND OF THE NEW PLANT

My new geranium plant originated as a sport of `Sybil Holmes`(unpatented), the new plant having been discovered among plants grownfrom cuttings of `Sybil Holmes` produced at my nursery at Statham, Ga.,in 1984, this sport being noted by the very rose-red coloration of itsblooms, which is much deeper than that of `Sybil Holmes`, and thediscovery plant was propagated by me by means of cuttings at mygreenhouse in Statham. Further propagation by cuttings from successivegenerations of the new plant at my greenhouse in Statham has shown thatits distinctive and novel characteristics hold true from generation togeneration and appear to be firmly fixed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

My new geranium plant is illustrated by the accompanying full colorphotographic drawings which, in FIG. 1, show a potted plant in fullbloom, and in FIG. 2, show a close-up view of a flower and an openingbud, the colors shown being as nearly true to those specified herein asit is reasonably possible to obtain by conventional commercialphotographic procedures.

DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW PLANT

The following is a detailed description of my new geranium cultivar withcolor designations according to The H.C.C. Colour Chart of The RoyalHorticultural Society at London, England, with additional reference toMethuen Handbook of Color by A. Kornerup and J. H. Wanscher, publishedin 1978 by Hastings House, N.Y., the plant data having been obtainedfrom observations of the plants of this cultivar grown in my greenhouseat Statham, Ga.

THE PLANT

Origin: Sport.

Parentage: `Sybil Holmes`.

Classification:

Botanic.--Pelargonium peltatum.

Commercial.--Geranium cultivar.

Form: Spreading bush.

Height: About 10 inches as a pot plant.

Growth: Vigorous and spreading.

Habit: Free branching and sturdy.

Foliage:

Quantity.--Abundant and heavy.

Number of leaves.--About 7 to 9 per six inches of linear stem growth.

Leaf size.--About 11/2 to 21/2 inches long and about 11/2 to 21/2 incheswide.

Leaf shape.--Rounded with lobed and slightly toothed margin.

Texture.--Leathery.

Aspect.--Glossy and smooth.

Ribs and veins.--Five main veins.

Color.--Upper side -- Deep green, Methuen 27E8. Under side -- Peacockgreen, Methuen 27D7.

Petioles.--Length: About 11/2 to 21/2 inches.

Stipules.--Number: Two. Size: About 1/8 to 1/4 inch long.

THE BUD

Size:

Diameter.--About 1/4 inch.

Length.--About 1/2 inch.

Shape: Ovoid with acuminate tip.

Rate of opening: Medium.

Color of petals:

When sepals first divide.--Pale red, Methuen 12A3.

When petals begin to unfurl.--Cerise, Methuen 12C8.

Sepals: At first, hooded over the bud.

Shape.--Lanced to ovate.

Number.--About 8 to 12, averaging 10. When the flowers open, the sepalscurl back.

Color.--Inside -- Peacock green, Methuen 12D7. Outside -- Deep green,Methuen 12D8.

Calyx:

Shape.--Pear shaped.

Size.--Long.

Aspect.--Smooth and slightly hairy.

Splitting.--The calyx does split.

Peduncle:

Character.--Rigid.

Length.--About 1/2 to 1 inch long.

Aspect.--Slightly hairy.

Color.--Peacock green, Methuen 27D7.

THE FLOWER

Blooming habit: Continuous and profuse throughout the year, ingreenhouse during winter.

Flower size: Medium.

Diameter.--About 1 inch.

Depth.--About 1/2 to 3/4 inch.

Borne: As a cyme.

Shape: Cup shaped when bloom first opens, becoming saucer shaped whenbloom matures.

Petalage:

Number of petals.--About 25 to 40 per flower, with an average of about33.

Arrangement.--Imbricated.

Form.--Obovate with obtuse apex and entire margins.

Texture.--Soft.

Appearance.--Satiny.

Color.--Petal Body, Rose red, HCC 724/1; Methuen 12B8. Base, Rose pink,HCC 427/2; Methuen 12A5. Reverse Side, HCC 427/3; Methuen 12A4. Theinside petal colors are essentially the same as the outside petals.

Peduncle:

Length.--About 31/2 to 41/2 inches.

Character.--Strong and ascending.

Color.--Green.

Discoloration after full bloom: The flowers start with a color of deepcerise and fade to rose pink, HCC 427/2.

Persistence: The florets hang on and dry; but should be beheaded.

Lasting quality: About 10 to 14 days.

REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS

Stamens:

Number.--1 to 3.

Arrangement.--Random.

Anthers.--Size: Average.

Filaments.--Length: About 3/16 to 5/16 inch. Color: White.

Pollen.--Color: None apparent.

Pistils:

Number.--One (five carpels are more-or-less fused into a single pistil).

Style.--Length: About 1/4 to 3/4 inch. Color: Greenish white.

Stigma.--Color: Light red.

Character of ovary: Superior, pubescent but appear to be non-functional.

This new geranium cultivar is similar in growth habit and culturalrequirements to the cultivar `Sybil Holmes` but is distinguished byhaving a deeper flower color and better persistence of bloom.Additionally, the flower of this new cultivar starts out with a deepcerise and fades to rose-pink, thus maintaining a better flower colorthroughout the entire life of the bloom than `Sybil Holmes`.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinctive geranium cultivar, substantially asherein shown and described, particularly characterized by the rose-redcoloration of its blooms, a continuous and abundant year aroundflowering ability, and by its vigorous and much branched growth habit.